History
The YWCA of Western Massachusetts was founded in Springfield in 1868 by 15 churchwomen as a women’s auxiliary to the YMCA. The Women’s Christian Association (WCA) was formed to provide shelter and “social, temporal, and spiritual” improvement to the city’s growing population of young working women.
By 1882, the WCA was offering the city’s first kindergarten. It moved into its own building on Bliss Street in 1885, and by 1893, had split off from the men’s Association, renaming itself the Springfield Young Women’s Christian Association, becoming one of the charter members of the national YWCA. The Association provided housing, classes, and counseling.
During World War I, the Springfield YWCA fought the exploitation of working women and established a support center for women in the armed forces and wives of servicemen. As the city contended with juvenile delinquency at the close of World War II, the YWCA opened a popular youth center.
The next 25 years saw the YWCA expand its range of programs and services to tackle issues of the inner city and an increasingly diverse population. Even while the Civil Rights movement was in its infancy, the Springfield YWCA opened its programs and events to all, regardless of race, color, religion, and disability. During the sixties, the Association led forums on previously unspoken subjects such as domestic violence. In 1970, the YWCA created and funded the Pregnant Adolescent Girl’s Education (PAGE) program, the city’s first program designed to help pregnant and parenting teens finish their education in an environment of respect.
Even while struggling with its own growing pains during the 1980s, moving out of its costly Howard Street building and reforming its management, the YWCA continued to expand the reach of its services. It opened a shelter in Westfield in 1986 and in Northampton in 1987. Reflecting this expanded service area, the Association changed its name in 1988 to the YWCA of Western Massachusetts.
From the 1990s to today, the YWCA opened teen programs in Springfield and Holyoke and a shelter program in the hilltowns. One of its brightest achievements was the opening of its Springfield shelter for battered women and their children, a state-of-the-art facility that gives women security without making them invisible. The YWCA today operates more than 16 programs at seven locations throughout the Pioneer Valley and provides community-based services to more than 1,600 women and children.
The planning and preparation to do more haven’t stopped. In 2009, the YWCA secured more than $7 million to build 28 housing units on its Clough Street campus. The YWCA’s services have changed with the times, but our original commitment to improving women’s lives is stronger than ever.
